Birmingham on track to win entrepreneurial city of the year title, again

Birmingham is on course to smash last year’s record for business start-ups and take prime position once again as the UK’s most entrepreneurial city outside of London.

The latest official figures show 9,151 new businesses were formed in Birmingham in the first six months of 2016. This compares with 14,152 new businesses registered in the city throughout 2015.

At the current rate of progress, last year’s total of new businesses formed will be exceeded by almost one third.

The figures were welcomed by Neil Rami, chief executive of Business Birmingham, the city’s inward investment agency:

From the funds and expert advice given by the likes of Finance Birmingham to the support provided by the region’s accelerator programmes and incubator spaces, Birmingham offers an ideal environment to set up and expand a business.

Billions have been invested in the city’s transport links in recent years – including New Street station, extensions to the Midland Metro tram line, and Birmingham Airport runway – and the city is an important centre for sectors including advanced manufacturing, professional services and digital.

In the current political climate, it shouldn’t be underestimated just how significant a role Birmingham’s ambitious new companies can play in driving the region’s economic growth, so it’s heartening that the city continues to perform strongly as a start-up hotspot.

Greater Birmingham is one of the country’s leading locations to start and grow a business. These latest figures are testament to the entrepreneurial spirit that exists within the region. We make it a priority at the Growth Hub to support and provide the necessary advice to champion this growing ambition and to drive forward our economy.

By coordinating the vast amount of business support on offer across the wider region, we hope to sustain Greater Birmingham’s reputation as the number one start up hotspot outside of the capital.

Birmingham’s position at the top of the new businesses league will be celebrated on July 25 when the StartUp Britain battle bus reaches the city.

Now in its fifth year, StartUp Britain is a national campaign by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, harnessing the expertise and passion of Britain’s leading businesspeople to unleash entrepreneurship across the UK. The campaign is run by the Centre for Entrepreneurs think tank and sponsored by NatWest, 123 Reg and .uk.

Founded by eight entrepreneurs and launched in 2011 by the Prime Minister, StartUp Britain is completely private sector-funded. It was launched in response to the government’s call for an ‘enterprise led’ recovery.

Our mobile business bus is a great way to get into local communities and support aspiring business owners. By collaborating with StartUp Britain and local experts, we hope to provide a broader range of support to help more entrepreneurs realise their business ambitions than ever before.